Officials say Cal Fire’s multibillion-dollar budget just isn’t enough. They’re asking for a $184 million boost. That breaks down to $84 million for new Cal Fire trucks and $100 million to modernize communication technology and mobilize crews in extreme weather before a fire even starts.

“Getting help to you the people of California in a few hours is no long good enough. In fact we can do better,” one fire official said.

Currently, the state operates with a mutual aid system.

“It’s a system of neighbor helping neighbor it is designed as a reactive system,” one fire chief explained.

Firefighters say a more proactive strategy is known as pre-positioning.

In Napa and Sonoma counties last fall, the vicious fires stretched resources to the breaking point. A call for mutual aid was issued to nearby departments, but Santa Rosa Fire Chief Tony Gossner says the crews never came.

“I will tell you there was fire on three sides of me no resources to help,” he said.